Door-operating mechanism for player-pianos.



E. T. TURNEY.

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM FOR PLAYER PIANOS.

APPLICATION mm AUG.22. x914.

1,241,583. Patentd Oct. 2,1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 'l.

: WIT 88158 [NI/EH01? E. T. TUHNEY.

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM FOR PLAYER PIANOS,

APPLICATION FILED AUG-22. 19M.

1,241,583. I Patented Oct. 2,1917.

SHEETS-SHEET 2- E GENE" r. TURNEY, or NEW YORK, 11. Y.,

ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PLAYER ACTION COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF \VEST VIRGINIA.,

DOOR-OPERATING- MECHANISM FOR PLAYER-PIANOSJ Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 0a. 2, 1917.

Application filed August 22, 1914. Serial 1%. 858,037.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE T. TURNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful I mprovements in Door-Operating Mechan sm for Player-Pianos, of which the following is, a specification.

In player pianos it is customary to make thepumping pedals-so that they can swmg toa, position within the piano frame and be concealed when it is desired to play by hand and to open a door in the frame and permit the bringing out of the pedals when the piano is to be played automatically.

The present invention aims to provide a simple and convenient mechanism for operating adoor of this character.

Q The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the inner face of the' bottom frame, so-called, of a piano p aye .Fig. 2. is a vertical transverse section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the embodiment of the in- Vention illustrated the bottom frame A is the board which incloses the lower part of the piano and the player mechanism at the front and througlfwhich the player pedals haveto be brought out to playing position or within which such pedals have to be concealed. The frame is provided with an opening B at or near the center which is adapted to be covered by means of a door C sliding on a guide-way E, the door being supported by means of hooks F fastened to the door and having their upper ends bent over to en age a groove on the inner face of the guide E. The face of the frame is provided with strips G and H of felt or similar material to prevent any rattling of the door against the frame. The shifting of the door is accomplished by means of a lever mounted upon a pivot J fastened on the inner face of the frame, the lever having a long arm K which is connected by a link L with the door and having a short arm M which is connected to a slide N supported at one end by its connection to the arm M and supported at the opposite end by a pin or screw 0 fastened in the frame and lying in a longitudinal slot P of the link, so that the link can have a longitudinal and slightly oscillating movement. The inner face of the frame carries a padded stop Q, for limiting the movement of the door in the open direction and a similar stop It which lies in the path of the slide N so as to limit the move ment thereof and prevent too great a movement in the closing direction. The entire frame with the parts above described can be removed by tilting it forward and lifting it from the toe rail S on which it normally rests and on which it is positioned by means of pegs T extending up into the lower edge of the frame. I

The operation of the door is effected by means of a handle T on the forward end of an operating shaft U which is'mounted on the underside of the key bed V as by means of a'bearing block'W. The operating shaft U carries a spring X between the forward end of the bearing block W' and a collar Y fixed on the shaft so as to press'the latter always forward. A collar Z is also fiXedon the shaft serving to'li'mit this forward movement by striking the rear end of the bearing bloc The frame A is made removable in order to permlt accessto the mechanlsm in the lower part of the piano. It is provided with a notch or. in line with the bearing block W slide N is located just below the notch a and in'such a position that when the frame is replaced in position the slide will bear against a pin Z) on the lower end of an arm 0 depending from the inner end of the operating shaft U. As the slide N bears against the pin Z) the operating shaft is pushed inward against the resistance of the spring X. The slide is provided with a slot cl, Fig/1, large enough to accommodate the pin 7). When the frame is in place the operator by swinging the handle T to the right or to the left swings the arm 0 at the inner end so that the pin 6 describes an are indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and at some point in this are finds the slot d and enters it by reason of the outward pull of the spring X. The stops heretofore referred to limit the movement of the slide backward and forward so that the slot d will always lie within the range of the pin 6. The arm 0 naturally hangs in approximately its middle poupper edge of the slide and overhanging the same to close the upper end of the slot d and to prevent accidental swinging of the pin 6 above the edge of the slide.

The parts being engaged (as shown in dotted lines) the operator can then swing the door shut or open just as if the door and all its operating mechanism were permanently attached to each other; and there is no interruption of the connection except when the bottom frame is again removed (during which time, of course, there is no necessity of operating the door). The mechanism, therefore, has all the advantages of a permanently connected door operating mechanismwith the additional advantage that when the frame is removed it carries with it only thedoor itself and so much of the operating mechanism as lies flat on the inside of the frame.

Though I have described with great particularity of detail a certain specific embodiment of my invention, yet it is not to be understood therefrom that the invention is restricted to the particular embodiment disclosed. Various modifications thereof in detail and in the arrangement and combination of the parts may be made by those skilled in the, art without departure from the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. A door operating mechanism for player pianos comprising a removable .portion having a slide mounted thereon, a fixed'portion adapted to carry an operating shaft, said slide bein adapted to be automatically disengaged rom said operating shaft when said removable portion is removed and to be automatically engaged with said operating Copies of thin patent may be obtained for shaft when said removable portion is replaced.

' 2. A door operating mechanism for player pianos comprising a handle supported from the underside of the key bed of the piano and means for transmitting the movement of the handle to the door, said means being mounted on the bottom frame of the piano and being detachable from the handle by the mere removal of the bottom frame.

3. A door operating mechanism for player pianos comprising a slide mounted on the bottom frame of the piano, an operating shaft mounted on a fixed part of the piano and having an arm overlying said slide, said slide and arm having a pin and slot adapted to be engaged with each other or disengaged from each other so as to permit a removal of saidf frame without removing the operating sha t.

4. A door operating mechanis f play 1,

pianos comprisin a slide N mounted on the inner face of the 'ottom frame of the piano,

an operating shaft U having an arm 0 overlying the inner face of said slide and a spring tending'to press said shaft forward,

said slide and arm having a pin and slot adapted to be engaged with each other by a forward movement of the shaft when the shaft is turned to bring them into register JP with each other and to be disengaged by a forward movement of the bottom frame carrying the slide; 7

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' EUGENE T. TURNEY. Witnesses:

D. ANTHONY UsmA, LULU STUBENVOLL.

five centl each, by addreuing the Commissioner of Ietente, Wnhington, D. 0. i 

